Jim Nicholson won't take responsibility still?

This is a shocker. "Former VA secretary: Obama's 'not taking responsibility' for agency's misconduct." Nicholson was in the hot seat a lot. Why is he lying on top of it now?

In an interview on Friday with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Nicholson also hit back at Obama's sharp criticism of his tenure leading the VA, calling into question the former senator's commitment to the cause when he severed on the Veterans Affairs Committee. "He was on the committee but he never showed up," Nicholson said, appearing on "The Situation Room." Allegations of crippling delays in care and mismanagement have sparked calls for current Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki to resign. When Nicholson took over as chief of the VA in 2005 during President George W. Bush's administration, he, too, received criticism of his leadership of the agency, notably from then Illinois Sen. Obama.

To explain the processing slowdown from 2005 to 2006, the VA in its recent report to Congress gave three reasons: a concentration on older claims, the training of new staff, and the fact that it had "received a greater-than- expected number of claims in 2006." In fact, the opposite was true. As early as February 2005, the VA anticipated receiving 818,076 claims in fiscal 2006, and Nicholson in February 2006 upped that to 910,000 claims - both above the actual tally of 806,382. (The VA this week told McClatchy Newspapers the report to Congress was in error and shouldn't have used the word "expected.")

Nicholson must have forgotten this from 2006

U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) – a key member of the Senate Veterans Affairs (VA) Committee – today sent a letter to Senate VA Committee Chairman Larry Craig (R-ID) and Ranking Member Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI), requesting a hearing of the Committee on the status of mental health services provided by the VA."We need real answers from the VA and the Bush Administration. No gimmicks. No games," Murray said. "I am requesting a hearing on the mental health services provided by the VA so we can learn more about the need for mental health care, how to meet that demand, and what changes need to be made to provide our veterans with the care they need and deserve."Murray's call for a hearing follows an article in the May edition of Psychiatric News in which Frances Murphy, M.D., Undersecretary for Health Policy Coordination at the VA, indicates that the agency is ill-prepared to serve the mental health needs of our nation's veterans. In the article, Dr. Murphy notes that some VA clinics don't provide mental health or substance abuse care, or if they do, "waiting lists render that care virtually inaccessible."

The number of vets seeking counseling or treatment for mental health issues more than doubled from 4,467 in October of 2005 to 9,103 in June. And the number needing other forms of help transitioning from military to civilian life more than tripled, jumping from 43,682 to 144,227. Yet, the number of staff positions added to deal with such problems since 2002 is only eight.

The number of initial disability claims rose from 578,773 in 2000 to 788,298 in 2005, a 36 percent increase. The Department of Veterans Affairs takes an average of 129 days to make an initial decision. It hopes to reduce that to 115 days, said Michael Dusenbery, the Veterans Benefits Administration's southern area director. The backlog begins at the regional office, argue many veterans groups. "If they got the decision right in the first place, there would be fewer appeals to the board and less of a backlog," said Roy Spicer, DAV national appeals officer. Last year, 47,136 claims were appealed to the Board of Veterans' Appeals. More than half of regional offices' decisions that are appealed to the board are reversed or sent back to local offices for further action.

This was after Nicholson advised President Bush that claims would go down. Or the cases brought by one attorney where 40 died before their claims were approved.

"We should take care of our veterans, but I don't think they're taking care of me," Bolin said. He filed his original claim seven years ago. It reached the appeals court in March 2005. Bolin has been hospitalized twice this year and fears he may die before his case is settled. That fear is too often realized by veterans. His attorney, Dan Krasnegor, who works for a Richmond law firm that specializes in veterans' appeals, has had about 40 clients die before their cases were decided by the court.

Nicholson must have forgotten about the lawsuit filed by Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth in 2007.

“We won this round against VA. Veterans will have our day in court. The VA must now release documents under discovery about their deliberate attempts to deny and delay medical care and disability benefits for all veterans, especially our Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans,” said Paul Sullivan, the executive director of Veterans for Common Sense (VCS), the lead plaintiff organization that filed suit against VA. On July 23, 2007, VCS and Veterans United for Truth (VUFT) filed a class action lawsuit against VA in order to force VA to provide prompt and high-quality medical care and disability benefits to veterans, especially those with mental health conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). “Our Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are committing suicide while waiting for VA to answer their pleas for medical care. VA must make sure all our veterans receive prompt and high-quality medical care and disability benefits. The long waits at VA must end,” added Sullivan.

The same lawsuit that discovered veterans committing suicide information had been hidden.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Dr. Ira Katz, the VA's mental health director, deliberately withheld crucial information on the true suicide risk among veterans. "Doctor Katz's irresponsible actions have been a disservice to our veterans, and it is time for him to go," said Murray, a member of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. "The number one priority of the VA should be caring for our veterans, not covering up the truth." Murray and other Democratic senators said they were appalled at e-mails showing Katz and other VA officials apparently trying to conceal the number of suicides by veterans. An e-mail message from Katz disclosed this week as part of a lawsuit that went to trial in San Francisco this week starts with "Shh!" and refers to the 12,000 veterans per year who attempt suicide while under department treatment. "Is this something we should (carefully) address ourselves in some sort of release before someone stumbles on it?" the e-mail asks.

And Nicholson must have forgotten this as well

“Recent incidents indicate a possible trend of system-wide or systemic indifference to the invisible wounds of war. It is shameful, because veterans deserve better, and because it tarnishes the good work of the many VA mental health professionals who help veterans battle PTSD, depression, and other psychological wounds,” said Akaka. “Whatever the reasoning behind the mistakes that were made, VA must work to regain the confidence of veterans who now question whether VA is a friend or enemy.” In their testimony, witnesses denied any systemic or deliberate efforts within VA to deny veterans care or compensation for psychological wounds. While Dr. Norma Perez, the psychologist from Texas, argued that there is little difference between adjustment disorder and PTSD, VA’s chief mental health official Dr. Ira Katz respectfully disagreed.

But it seems as if everyone has forgotten how long they had to do the right thing on PTSD as well.

Congress required the establishment of VA's Special Committee on PTSD in 1984, with the original purpose primarily to aid Vietnam-era veterans diagnosed with PTSD. One of the Special Committee's main charges is to carry out an ongoing assessment of VA's capacity to diagnose and treat PTSD and to make recommendations for improving VA's PTSD services.

As you've seen over and over again nothing is new here and nothing was fixed. For Nicholson to forget everything that went on including the fact with two wars on, he advised President Bush that there would be less need for VA staff.

Did Congress Try to Break VA to Sell Off Veterans?

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 26, 2014

It is about someone asks this question. Did the Congress purposely set out to break the VA to sell off the care of veterans to private for profit corporations?

I am hardly the first to think that very well may be the case. Between the money pharmaceutical companies have made off medications doing more harm than good, no matter how many years the reports go back, to billions spent on making PTSD troops believe it is their fault with the failure called Comprehensive Soldier Fitness all the way up to betraying all the troops by not making sure the DOD and VA records system worked together and there were enough working for the VA.

How much more evidence do we need to know before we ever ask that question?

Where was all the outrage 7 years ago before 56,210 veteran suicides?

How about politicians making speeches years ago to do just that?

At least now they admit it.

GOP leaders, whistle-blower join in calls to privatize veterans' care

“It’s absolutely a good idea,” Dr. Margaret Moxness, who exposed long waits at a VA facility in West Virginia, told “Fox News Sunday.” “This should have happened years ago.”

Boehner said Saturday that he supported the idea of “privatizing” the department two decades ago, and that he has a renewed interest amid allegations that government employees kept secret records to conceal veterans’ long waits for medical treatment and that as many as 40 died while waiting.

The idea of privatization has gained steam since allegations of a wait-list at a VA facility in Phoenix were exposed last month, but the concept has been posed for years by conservative lawmakers, including Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in 2008 and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who both faced a backlash from such groups as the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Politicians let it get worse shirking their duty to them. Maybe now you know why they let all of this happen!

This shouldn't surprise anyone since they also tried to privatize the wars when there were more contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan than there were members of the military.

If you lost a son or daughter to suicide tied to military service, blame them for not fixing the problems years ago instead of trying to make sure it didn't work so they could do what they wanted to. Blame them for the backlog of claims. We've been watching this horror show for years for far too many when we were wondering at the same time why so many others have received excellent care. Now you know the rest of the story and they are no longer ashamed to admit that this was their goal. It didn't matter how many had to suffer for it.

UPDATE

Veterans Groups Lash Out at Republican Senator
By JONATHAN WEISMAN
MAY 26, 2014

WASHINGTON — An “open letter” from a senior Republican senator to the nation’s veterans in which he castigates the leadership of veterans organizations has prompted a brutal war of words over the Memorial Day weekend, including a promise from the Veterans of Foreign Wars that its “hat in hand” approach to Congress will turn more combative.

The burgeoning controversy over delayed access to care at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals has always contained risks for Republicans pushing the issue. The logical conclusions of the push would be either a politically difficult effort to privatize veterans’ health care or to supply substantially more money to a system burdened by veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an option veterans groups have demanded but Republican leaders have resisted.

The open letter from Senator Richard M. Burr of North Carolina, the ranking Republican on the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee — and the groups’ responses — pushed that conflict into the open. Mr. Burr, angry that only the American Legion has called for the resignation of Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, accused the groups of being “more interested in defending the status quo within the V.A., protecting their relationships with the agency, and securing access to the secretary and his inner circle,” than helping members.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans and the Paralyzed Veterans of America hit back hard.
read more here

Sanford Florida Memorial Day Parade

Parade video coming soon

Veterans Advocates Want Accounability

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 26, 2014

Memorial Day is a great day to remember the price paid to obtain and retain our freedoms. It is even a better day to remember the truth, the whole truth no matter how painful it is.

In an interview Advocates Want Someone To Be Accountable For Veterans' Care Aaron Glantz said "Well, I think that the issue that people have with Secretary Shinseki is not that these scandals are necessarily his fault. It's more that he's been in this chair as Secretary of Veterans Affairs for six years now and has not done anything about these problems, which are of long-standing. So 2007, 2009, 2012 we had Inspector General's reports saying that the VA was cooking the books on how long veterans actually were waiting. So these problems are not new."

He's right. These problems are not new and they have not improved enough. Why? Because no one has been held accountable including members of Congress. Advocates tried to hold other heads of the VA responsible but we failed. People tend to forget that there have been many battles fought for the sake of our veterans during every war. The most troublesome came when the troops were sent to fight two wars yet no one thought about making sure the VA was ready for any of the wounded coming home.

The numbers from the Vietnam War were well documented so advocates knew what was coming. We looked back at the history of the real longest war this nation fought while reporters decided the official start of Afghanistan was more important than the first to die in Vietnam.

According to the Vietnam Memorial Wall "First battlefield fatality was Specialist 4 James T. Davis who was killed on December 22, 1961" while it also listed "The first American soldier killed in the Vietnam War was Air Force T-Sgt. Richard B. Fitzgibbon Jr. He is listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having a casualty date of June 8, 1956. " As for the last, "The last pilot casualty in the country of Vietnam occured during the Embassy evacuation in Saigon, William C. Nystal and Michael J. Shea both died on the helicopter on April 30, 1975 approaching the USS Hancock in the China Sea (both are located at 1W, 124). The last pilot killed in the Vietnam war was Air Force helicopter pilot Second Lieutenant Richard Vandegeer who was killed on Koh Tang Island, Cambodia. This occured during the Mayaguez incident when his helicopter crashed on May 15, 1975. It is concidered the last combat action of the Vietnam War."

There you can see that calling the war in Afghanistan "the longest war" causes many of us to tear up.

The youngest Vietnam KIA is believed to be Dan Bullock at 15 years old.
The oldest person on the Wall is Dwaine McGriff at 63 years old.
At least 5 men killed in Vietnam were 16 years old.
At least 12 men killed in Vietnam were 17 years old.
There are 120 persons who listed foreign countries as their home of record.
At least 25,000 of those killed were 20 years old or younger.
More than 17,000 of those killed were married.
Veterans killed on their first day in Vietnam 997 (unconfirmed)
Veterans killed on their last day in Vietnam 1,448 (unconfirmed)
Number of Chaplains on the Wall -- 16 (2 Medal Of Honor)
Number of Women on the Wall -- 8 (7 Army, 1 USAF - 7,484 served)
There are 226 Native Americans on the Memorial.
There are 22 countries represented on the Memorial.
Most common name on the Memorial "Smith" with 667 veterans.
The most casualties for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245 casualties.
The most casualties for a single month was May 1968, 2,415 casualties were incurred.

We knew those numbers. We knew the numbers for Afghanistan because of how long Russia was there. We knew what was predicted about sending troops into Iraq because of the interviews done after the Gulf War when Dick Cheney used the term "quagmire" to explain why the decision was made to not invade Iraq and when General Norman Schwarzkopf said it would be like "a dinosaur stuck in a tar pit."

Reluctant to pursue unwinnable battles, he backed President George HW Bush's decision not to move on Baghdad and remove Saddam from power. Schwarzkopf's agreement to allow the Iraqis to use what had been no-fly zones proved fatal to the growing domestic resistance movements against Saddam. He later said: "Had we taken all of Iraq we would have been like the dinosaur in the tar pit." Although he supported President George W Bush's subsequent 2003 invasion of Iraq, he was severely critical of Bush's defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld's extensive use of reservists and private contractors, and, when the casus belli of weapons of mass destruction proved false, he warned against ignoring the responsibilities of an occupying power.

But the VA was not made ready to care for the wounded by body or mind. According to American Federation of Government Employees, there were 1,516 Veterans Service Representatives working for veterans in January of 2003 but only 1,392 working in 2007. Ironically that was reported by Aaron Glantz for IPS in 2007.

We started screaming! No one heard us. We screamed about the lack of mental healthcare when 148,000 Vietnam veterans made the trip to the VA for help with PTSD for the first time knowing two wars would cause a rise in their need. Chris Roberts reported this on El Paso Times in 2007. "In the past 18 months, 148,000 Vietnam veterans have gone to VA centers reporting symptoms of PTSD "30 years after the war," said Brig. Gen. Michael S. Tucker, deputy commanding general of the North Atlantic Regional Medical Command and Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He recently visited El Paso." But when they came for help, there was less help to care for them.

We want accountability because we've seen the problems. We also want it because we have seen what works and the flip side of the story too many times. We're greedy! We want the same help available for all of our veterans and their families. We know we can do better because it has already been done.

Hold people accountable but don't stop with the people in the chair today. We have to look back all the way with truthful eyes or we will repeat more mistakes and neglect more successes. They deserve the best we have to offer them since they did their best for us.

Top CIA officer in Afghanistan mistakenly named by White House

Top CIA officer in Afghanistan mistakenly named by White House: report
Reuters
May 25, 2014

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House inadvertently included the name of the top CIA official in Afghanistan on a list of participants in a military briefing with President Barack Obama that was distributed to reporters on Sunday, the Washington Post reported.

The newspaper said the official, identified as "Chief of Station" in Kabul, was named as being among those at a briefing with Obama during the president's trip to Bagram Air Base near the Afghan capital.

The list of names was sent by email to reporters traveling with Obama on his surprise Afghanistan visit and included in a "pool report" shared with correspondents and others not on the trip.

The Post said the White House issued a revised list deleting the CIA official's name after it recognized the mistake.

The newspaper said its White House bureau chief, Scott Wilson, who was on the trip, copied the original list from the email provided by White House press officials and included it in a report sent to a distribution list with over 6,000 recipients.

After he spotted the reference to the station chief, Wilson asked White House press officials in Afghanistan if they had intended to include that name, the Post said.
read more here

Memorial Day and a Mother's Loss

Fisher House for Families of the Fallen in Delaware is a place where family members can stay while waiting for the return of their sons, daughters, husbands and wives. It is a place where they can be supported on one of the saddest times in their lives.

A Mother's Loss

For the past 38 years, military service in the United States has been voluntary. As U.S. citizens, we are fortunate to have men and women who, knowing the dangers that may lie ahead, continue to answer the call and proudly serve our nation.

Behind every man and woman at war is a family on the home front. Their support is unconditional, their prayer always the same – a safe return.

Kristofor Stonesifer was one of those brave and committed young people whose life goals included becoming a U.S. Army Ranger. Thirty-eight days after Sept. 11, he was the first killed in action in Operation Enduring Freedom. He and Jonn Edmunds, a fellow Ranger, died on Oct. 19, 2001, in a helicopter crash the first night of major military operation in Afghanistan.

Gold Star Mother Ruth Stonesifer
Ruth Stonesifer, proud Gold Star Mother of Kristofor Stonesifer Kristofor’s mother, Ruth Stonesifer, became the first Operation Enduring Freedom mother to take on the national presidency of the American Gold Star Mothers, which she described as a “wonderful organization none of us ever wanted to become eligible to join but we are grateful to have.”
read more here

Memorial Day Videos | National Memorial Day Concert | PBS

Memorial Day Videos | National Memorial Day Concert | PBS

Each year, the National Memorial Day Concert presents a unique program honoring the valor and patriotism of Americans who have served our country. The show pays tribute to their sacrifices, as well as those of their families and loved ones.

As the war in Afghanistan winds down, the 2014 National Memorial Day Concert will recognize our servicemen and servicewomen with a special “welcome home” to thank veterans who served in Afghanistan.

In these segments of the show, we’ll feature a story about a critically wounded veteran suffering from severe physical injuries and the grave invisible wounds of war. We’ll also focus on the story of a mother coping with grief after the death of her son, the first to die in Afghanistan. His service inspired her to become actively involved with Gold Star Mothers. Now she is helping other mothers with their loss, grief and healing as they move forward with their lives.

The 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasion also will be commemorated in 2014. World War II veterans who participated in the invasion, a seminal moment that turned the tides of war in favor of the Allies, will be honored and featured in this tribute to the sacrifices of our nation’s Greatest Generation.

go here for more of this tribute

Last night was the 25th Annual Memorial Day Tribute Concert, hosted by Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise. As always, I was moved to tears many times.

Joe Mantegna

Joe Mantegna is a world-class and award-winning entertainer with a strong background in television, theater and film who returns to co-host theNational Memorial Day Concert for his ninth consecutive year with Gary Sinise. Currently, Mantegna stars as FBI Special Agent David Rossi in season nine of the hit CBS drama Criminal Minds... READ MORE

Gary Sinise

Actor and humanitarian Gary Sinise has been actively and tirelessly supporting the troops for over 30 years. Among his numerous film and television roles, it was his portrayal of Lt. Dan Taylor in the landmark filmForrest Gump that formed a lasting connection with servicemen and servicewomen throughout the military community... READ MORE

General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.)

For over 50 years, General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret.) has devoted his life to public service. Having held senior military and diplomatic positions across four presidential administrations, Powell’s deep commitment to democratic values and freedom has been felt throughout the world. The son of Jamaican immigrants, Powell was... READ MORE

Dianne Wiest

Oscar and Emmy Award-winning actress Dianne Wiest recently finished shooting the feature film The Humbling opposite Al Pacino, directed by Barry Levinson. Over the years, Wiest has given memorable performances in films such as Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York; A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints; Hannah and Her Sisters... READ MORE

Jennifer Nettles

Jennifer Nettles, lead vocalist for international super duo Sugarland, has become one of the most popular singer-songwriters in music today. Since Sugarland exploded onto the music scene in 2004, they have worldwide sales of over 22 million albums and singles to date, have achieved eight No.1 singles and have won numerous awards... READ MORE

Danielle Bradbery

Seventeen-year-old Danielle Bradbery charmed her way into the national spotlight with a mix of country-western hits from several decades during season 4 of The Voice. The reigning star of the NBC hit show has become the youngest winner ever, and her coach, Blake Shelton, called her, "the most important artist to ever walk across... READ MORE

Megan Hilty

Megan Hilty recently starred alongside Sean Hayes in NBC’s comedy Sean Saves the World. Prior to that, she portrayed the seasoned triple threat, Ivy Lynn, in NBC’s musical drama Smash for two seasons. In March 2013, Hilty released her debut solo album, It Happens All The Time, which included fresh interpretations of... READ MORE

Jackie Evancho

Jackie Evancho’s first performance on NBC’s variety show America’s Got Talent left audiences and judges astonished that such a perfect, beautiful, soprano voice could come from a 10-year-old girl. During her next appearance in the competition, judges asked her to improvise a tune, which she performed flawlessly. It wasn’t just her... READ MORE

Anthony Kearns

Anthony Kearns, recognized as one of the world‘s finest tenors, made his official U.S. Grand Opera debut as the lead tenor in the role of Edgardo in Gaetano Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor with Opera Naples of Florida in January 2011. His first appearance with the opera company came in early 2010 as Romeo in its production... READ MORE

Jack Everly

Jack Everly is the Principal Pops Conductor of the Baltimore and Indianapolis Symphony Orchestras, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra and National Arts Center Orchestra (Ottawa). He has been on stage with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl, The New York Pops at Carnegie Hall, appears annually with The Cleveland... READ MORE

National Symphony Orchestra

The National Symphony Orchestra of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, led by Music Director Christoph Eschenbach, is recognized not only nationally but internationally as well, and is considered one of the world's finest ensembles. The Orchestra, in its 83rd season (2013-14), maintains a busy concert... READ MORE

Military District of Washington

The Military District of Washington works with Capital Concerts in coordinating the Department of Defense participation of the Premier Service Bands and Service Honor Guards.

U.S. Army Herald Trumpets

The United States Army Herald Trumpets is the official fanfare ensemble for the President of the United States. Founded in 1959 and patterned after traditional British “fanfare” trumpet ensembles, The U.S. Army Herald Trumpets was formed to add splendor to official military ceremonies. A performing element of The United... READ MORE

U.S. Army Chorus

In 1956, the U.S. Army Chorus was established as the vocal counterpart of The U.S. Army Band Pershing’s Own and is one of the nation’s only professional, all-male choruses. From its inception, the U.S. Army Chorus has established and maintained a reputation of excellence in the performance of male choral literature... READ MORE

U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters

The United States Navy Band Sea Chanters is the official chorus of the United States Navy. The ensemble performs a wide variety of music, ranging from traditional choral music, including the sea chantey, to Broadway musicals. Under the leadership of Chief Musician Georgina L. Todd, the Sea Chanters appear throughout the... READ MORE

U.S. Air Force Singing Sergeants

The Singing Sergeants, the official chorus of the United States Air Force, is one of the world's most versatile and traveled choral organizations. Originally formed in 1945 from within the ranks of The United States Air Force Band, the chorus is now composed entirely of professional vocalists from leading colleges, universities and music... READ MORE

The Soldiers' Chorus

The Soldiers’ Chorus, founded in 1957, is the vocal complement of the United States Army Field Band of Washington, DC. The 29-member mixed choral ensemble travels throughout the nation and abroad, performing as a separate component and in joint concerts with the Concert Band of the “Musical Ambassadors of the Army.” The chorus has... READ MORE

President made a surprise visit to Bagram Air Field

Full video from White House

May 25, 2014
Ahead of Memorial Day, the President made a surprise visit to Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan, where he spoke to thousands of troops stationed there and thanked them for their service. May 25, 2014.

Fallen comrade's family helps wounded Iraq War veteran reconnect

Fallen comrade's family helps wounded Iraq War veteran reconnect
Tampa Bay Times
John Romano
Times Columnist
Saturday, May 24, 2014

They took his leg. In the context of saving his life while a ruptured femoral artery spewed blood across the ceiling of the Walter Reed Medical Center, it seemed a small price to pay. But how do you explain that to a broken soldier? A pep talk and a prosthesis just don't seem like enough.

So began Brian Taylor Urruela's journey to the rest of his life. He hobbled away from the Army. From his hometown, too. He said goodbye to his family and every thought resembling emotion. The past felt like nothing but pain, and he was hellbent on leaving it all behind. That included the little boy. The one who looked just like the friend he'd been trying to forget.

What Urruela failed to realize during all of this was that the past doesn't always have to hurt. Sometimes it can heal.

Here is your Memorial Day picture: A mother, a child and an ex-infantryman walking side by side to a neighborhood park in South Tampa. As the holiday implies, the image is significant for the one who is missing.

Maj. David G. Taylor was killed by a roadside bomb outside Baghdad in 2006. He left behind a wife, Michelle, and an infant son, Jake, whom he'd forever kissed goodbye at 2 weeks old. He also left the four men who were riding with him on patrol that hot October afternoon. Another major whose arm was nearly destroyed, and a bodyguard who lost a leg. A gunner who lost both legs. And Cpl. Urruela.
read more here

Montana Dog Tag Brewing Honors Troops

Marine settles in Montana, creates beer company to honor troops
Great Falls Tribune
Jenn Rowell
May 25, 2014

Over a decade on active duty in the Marine Corps, Seth Jordan squirreled away money and recently made a longtime dream come true when he opened Dog Tag Brewing in Belgrade.

When he left active duty last year, he spent months on the paperwork, financing and the fine print before Dog Tag began distributing beer this year.

Dog Tag Brewing is a family company with Jordan at the helm. His sister Emily Jordan is his business partner and sales director. His wife Katy is the company's marketing director.

Armed with a business degree from Clemson University and experience in television ad sales at ESPN, where he met Katy, Jordan was able to open the company with his own money and a bank loan. He said he considered using programs through the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Small Business Administration, but was able to get started without them.

Dog Tag Brewing brews two beers, an IPA and a lager, and they are distributed throughout Montana.
read more here